Hard knock life
by lunaspite
Summary: Fiona the Fox is a bounty hunter, with her partner Nic' the Weasel. She rolls through life, taking every job as it comes. But deep down she's emotionally distraught, and desperately wants to find her parents. My first FanFic!
1. Pt 1 Caught in a rountine assignment!

_**Hard knock life**_

_Starring: Fiona the Fox & Nic' the Weasel._

_Written by Jason Gregory_

Disclaimer: This story is copyright (c) 2004 by the author. All characters are my sole creation and cannot be used by anyone, with the exception of Fiona the Fox, Nic' the Weasel, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik and Mighty the Armadillo (and any other character who has been in the Archie Sonic comic) who are property of Sega Enterprises and Archie Comics.

Authors note: This story takes place sometime before the Xorda storyline. Fiona is aged 15, Nic' is aged 19(and is the sister of Nack the Weasel). For Fiona Fox history, check out Sonic #28-29, Knuckles #26-28 and recent issues of Sonic(#125, #131-134, #138). For Nic' the Weasel check out Sonic #91, #93-94. This story is about the REAL Fiona, not her robot copy. I'll touch on that issue later on. I'd appreciate your reviews, be they positive or not since this is the first time I've put my stories up on a public forum. I hope you enjoy it...

* * *

**-Chapter One-**

Caught in a routine assignment!

The setting is the Heliopolis, a great desert to the east of Mobius.The temperature here climbs higher then any location on the planet. The Great Pyramids have stood like sentries, guarding their hidden treasures from anybody crazy enough to try and rob them. The treasures that lie within are priceless, long forgotten jewels guarded by the most deadly of traps. Not even the natives would dare to pillage the sacred Pyramids of its bounty, for fear of falling into one of the many pitfalls that lie within. Long has this realm of Mobius been under the watchful eye of Anubis, King of the entire empire of Heliopolis. His world renowned basenji guard-dogs have successfully kept even Dr. Robotnik's armada at bay by utilizing the desert to their advantage. They have set traps all throughout the desert, so many in fact that even the locales would be at risk if they tried to leave the desert by foot. It's because they feel like they've been trapped in their own kingdom, that many believe they spared themselves one evil dictator (Dr. Robotnik) for another (Anubis). People fear him, just like the rest of Mobius fears Robotnik. Hardly anyone would want to mess with him, or his elite guardsmen. He had been corrupted by his own power, and became the one thing he fended off all those years ago.

Yet on this day, somebody has managed to sneak into the sacred resting place of Osiris, on the outskirts of Casalia city. The siren sounded, piercing the silence of the night, alerting Anubis's desert troops, dressed in full combat gear. They carried spears, swords, wooden shields and arrows. They ran from their post which was in-between the city and the Necropolis and blended into the sand like chameleons, waiting for the intruders to emerge from the hall at the entrance. Flames were put out so that they would not be seen. They heard screams of pain from inside, there was a fight going on. The sound of swords clashing echoed out into the night. They wondered what could be so fierce as to take on the might of Anubis's soldiers. They waited; one cowardly dog was shaking, others looking forward to a good brawl.

But nothing happened. There was once again silence. The burning flames of the hallway entrance flickered casting shadows on the sand outside, and then suddenly, it went pitch black.

"What do we do now General Brutus sir?" asked a subordinate. He rised above all his friends and allies becoming a commander of his own squad, and Brutus's right hand man. Yet General Brutus still treated him like a rookie.

"Put a pipe in it Cyle" grunted the gruff looking hound. "We'll wait forty days and forty nights if we have to, nobody steals from King Anubis and lives to tell the tale. There was this one time, I fished out a rat called Aladdi"-,

"We have him! We have the intruder!" he was interrupted. The voice came from inside the pyramid, it was of native dialect, but Brutus remained suspicious, it's what kept him alive all these years.

"Could be a trap" he said. "Cyle, front and centre!"

"Y-yes Sir!?"

"Take your team with you and scope out the situation. If it's not a trap yell out the password: Ganymede, got it?"

"Ganymede... sir?"

"It was the name of my mother? Do you have a problem with that commader Cyle?"

"No sir, Ganymede is a good name sir!"

"Then get moving you mangy mutt, NOW!"

Cyle signaled to his men, and they followed cautiously behind him into the pyramid carrying their torches. There were all sorts of hieroglyphs on the wall; the ancients had carved their prophecies on them, signaling the end of an era, and a new beginning afterwards. Cyle just hoped it wasn't the end for him. Within the main chamber there were large pillars all intricately designed, and pathways leading to different corridors within the recesses of this maze. One could get lost in here if they didn't keep track of where they'd came from. There were a lot of soldiers' bodies on the ground. Cyle noticed that they weren't dead, just unconscious. He leant over to look at one of the soldiers he recognized. He looked at the fallen dogs arm and noticed there was a small dart embedded in it. "Shields up men, it's a trap!"

Just then darts were fired at them from both sides of the chamber. He noticed a figure run between the columns, its bushy red tail following behind. Most of the soldiers were shielded from the poisonous darts while a few were hit with them, toppling over onto the floor.

"Come out and face us coward!" yelled Cyle. "There's no way your escaping here alive. Surrender and you can die honorably in the pits of Rangnar, desist and you will meet death at the ends of my blade!"

The attacks stopped, the guards looked around for the intruder. Then, as if the enemy read their minds, a figure emerged from behind a column, dressed in a black cloak, face shrouded and with a bag full of treasures, stolen from this very tomb. The stranger dropped the bag and lifted his arms. Cyle and the soldiers raised their weapons at him.

"You will remove your mask so I may stare upon the one foolish enough to take on King Anubis's elite basenji." The intruder did as instructed. Everybody stared in shock, seeing not the face of a man, rather that of....

"A girl!?!? A stupid little girl?"

"You know, with that attitude," the fox replied, "I bet you don't have a girlfriend do you?" She joked.

"Who... who are you? How did you take out the guards?" asked Cyle.

"The guards, well they're not the brightest bunch I've come across. As for me, the names Fiona Fox, but you can just call me the stupid little girl you almost caught."

"How dare you", he snarled, "There's no way you'll escape here alive. There are dozens of soldiers waiting outside. What do you plan to do, catch their spears out of the air with your hands?"

"You really are dense", she replied. "Do you really think I came alone?" She smiled at him, then reached into her pocket and put on a pair of black glasses. "Say cheese!"

A smoke bomb went off in the middle of the room, blinding everyone, except Fiona who ran past the guards towards the entrance. The smoke didn't stay up for long and when it started to clear he saw Fiona running off in the distance.

"She's heading out! Quickly, if she runs outside we can surround her!" The guards picked up their weapons and ran towards the entrance; suddenly a piece of rope sprung up between two columns and tripped everybody up. One end of the rope had been tied around one of the columns, at the other somebody had pulled it up. Cyle Stood up and drew his sword but was too late. The other intruder had driven a sword straight through his stomach. The intruder took off its mask to reveal a violet, female weasel.

"Nic' the Weasel, treasure hunter extraordinaire. Unlike my companion, I'm not a stupid little girl." She slit his throat with a knife, finished off the others and turned towards the exit.

"Where's the challenge in killing amatuers?"

................................................................

Outside Fiona was faced with the guards all around. They were lying low in the sand, Brutus' men could see quite well in the dark. They thought she couldn't see them, they were wrong. She switched on the night-vision of her high tech glasses. The dogs homed in closer to her, seeking out their prey. She was just pretending she couldn't see them, looking about as if there was nothing in front of her. She leant back on her tail, and used it as a spring, launching herself up like a catapult. She landed right in the in the middle of their formation, surprising them. She pulled out a power ring and chanted in her mind "give me the strength; release your power unto me".

The ring shone brightly, as if it was creating sunlight. Everybody stood around in awe, thinking it was some kind of omen. For a long time, the Sun has been a sign of creation in this realm of Mobius. Ancient Heliopolans believed that the sun was their god and it would eventually return to kill them all one day. Of course, it was just superstitious myth nowadays. But seeing Fiona create a ring of light seemed like bad luck to them. It was General Brutus, who shouted out to his guards,

"Quit your bellyaching and get her, you good for nothing kittens!"

She used the energy of the power ring, and started to spin around creating a vortex, her tails whipping up a small sandstorm. The sand got in their faces, making them choke on it. Pretty soon the entire area was now a huge cloud of dust. Fiona stopped spinning around, and tried to regain her balance.

"Phew... those power rings, really make my day" she said, feeling rather dizzy and sick. A soldier tried to take advantage of her vertigo, by swiping his sword towards Fiona; she purposely fell to the ground before it could happen, and lifted her legs up and kicked him straight in the groin. He toppled over to the ground.

Thanks to the cover of the sandstorm Nic' easily snuck up behind the guards and took them out before they knew what hit them. Setting up five poison tipped arrows on her bow, she shot them into the air, impacting and knocking out several guards. The fight was uneven, and yet the two girls were winning. Nic' knew that Fiona could more than handle herself in a fight, but together they were unstoppable. They'd challenged the odds many times before, so a couple dozen soldiers was easy. At least that's how it usually goes, but for once Fiona had not seen him coming. General Brutus was a great sprinter, though you wouldn't think it by looking at his large muscular body. He charged up from behind and grabbed Fiona by the neck, lifting her off the ground. He was almost twice as tall as she was. She tried desperately to free herself, she could no longer breath.

"You, put down your weapons and surrender." Brutus cautioned to Nic'. She hesitated, feeling a bit annoyed at Fiona for getting caught. She didn't like this part of the fight, as alliances were tested, but in the end she complied, dropping her bow and arrows, and raised her arms into the air.

"Guards, tie her up. We'll show these kids what happens to those who steal from Anubis. I'll especially enjoy torturing you little fox girl."  
"Umm, sir!" said a soldier. Brutus paid no attention to him.

"It's been awhile since I've tortured somebody, because nobody is stupid enough to do what you two did."  
"General Brutus sir, you may want to look over here, sir", the General still paid no attention to him.

"That was very foolish thing you tried to accomplish, did you really think you were going to win this?"

Her throat hurt and she could barely utter a single syllable, but she forcefully managed to speak, "L-look beh-ind y-you"

"Hah" he belched, "if I fell for that one every time someone said it, then I'd be street trash just like you. Who is it that you remind me... ah that's it, you remind me of that rat Aladdi"-

"Sir!!!" the soldier once again interrupted, this time more aggressively. "We're being attacked sir!"

Brutus turned around to see his army retreating from something that was fast approaching. It made a large impact to the ground as it ran, and looked big from where Brutus was standing, so he didn't doubt he knew what it was, a dragon. Land Dragon to be precise; it had smallish legs but could still run fast; and like most dragons, could breath fire from its mouth. It was rare to see a dragon out in these parts, so close to the city.

It charged through the guards, trampling over some. Many ran out of its way, others weren't so fortunate and got trampled on by it. Three soldiers ran away half on fire from its flames. It made it's way through the desert, sweeping any who tried to stop it, and walked up to Brutus and shoved its face right in front of him.

"Get your ugly, smelly, fat, good-for-nothing mug out of my face Dragon or I'll show you who you're dealing with." The dragon did not move.

"Okay boys, kill him!" Nothing happened, Brutus turned around to see all his guards running back to the city. He was obviously scared, Fiona could feel him shaking, yet he kept up the charade.

"Good for nothing worms! Looks like I'll have to deal with this myself." The Dragon got mad at this and smoke started flaring out of his nostrils.

"You-put-girl-down-now!" the Dragon said, obviously only a juvenile. Brutus released his grip around Fiona's throat, dropping her to the ground. He looked scared; he got down on his knees and started to beg for his life,

"P-p-p-p-please, I-I have kids..." the dragon blew enough fire just to set the fur on top of his head on fire, and he went running off into the night screaming. Nic' walked up and patted the Dragon on his head. "Good boy Trevor." He smiled and then licked her. "Yuck, enough of that, get a dragoness for cripes sake. Fi', you alright?"

"Yeah" she coughed, trying to catch her breath. "Do you know this dragon Nic'?"

"Oh Trevor, I saved his life awhile ago, he owed me a dept. Something about Dragons and purity, I dunno why really."Nic' helped Fiona onto her feet.

"Oh, thank you Trevor, just don't lick me okay?"

"Okey-Dokey" he replied in a cheery mood.

"Take us back to my ship; it's on the outskirts of the desert north of here."

They hopped on his back, with their treasures in tow and he took off at lightning fast speed. It was a bumpy ride, and his back was rather uncomfortable to sit on, but it got them through the desert fast enough.

"Oh yeah baby, we got a great haul tonight. Dinners on me!"

"Yippee!" shouted Trevor.

"Except for you Trevor" Nic' answered, stingy as ever.

"Trevor-saved-day, Trevor-wants-food!" Nic' ignored him.

"I have to say, neat trick you pulled with the power ring..."

"Well I'd been meaning to try that." Said Fiona.

"...Too bad it didn't help, you got captured. I don't want that happening anymore, you got that!?" Nic' said sternly, in her authority figure voice.

"You didn't have to surrender; I could've taken care of myself. You should stop worrying about me, it doesn't suit you" the fox said sarcastically.

"Hah, as if I care about anyone. I just didn't wanna to lose the jewels you'd stolen; otherwise I would've turned tail and ran."

"Whatever" Fiona thought to herself, knowing that Nic' never let onto her feelings, even though they were often obvious to spot.

"Hey Nic', I hope you didn't kill the guards when I left you in the pyramid back there."

"Awww come off it Fi', you know that's not my game anymore. They're alive and safe, we're rich (by we, I mean me!), and everybody's happy."

"Except-Trevor. Trevor-wants-dinner!"

..............................................................

Meanwhile, back at Osiris's resting place which the two girls had just left, a lone soldier wakes up from a dream. He looks around to see his friends and colleagues, his superior, Cyle, all on the floor. There is blood everywhere, splattered on the walls, and the hieroglyphs. They are all dead.

**Continue on to Chapter Two...**


	2. Pt 2 A working relationship

**-Chapter Two-**

_A Working Relationship._

**Six years ago:**

The location is a peaceful mining village located up in northern Mobius, which lies in a valley nestled deeply between jagged hills. It is one of the poorer villages on the planet, and considering the rare diamondium which lies below it, you wouldn't think so. From all over the globe mobians come here to try and get rich, but finding actual diamondium is a rare commodity. It's been awhile since anybody has found anything down in the mines; some say that it's been emptied of its keepsake for good.  
  
Whatever the case, this village has seen some colorful characters over the past few decades. Tents are lined up outside houses, where the out-of-towners live, when they're not hard at work down in the mines. Merchants often come by here, trying to con those that had found diamondium into parting with it. There would often be an argument when working mates couldn't agree over who gets what. Most of the huts were very small and had the look of homes that were built to be lived in only for awhile, even though families ended up spending their whole lives living in them. People would leave for home in the winter, making it quieter around this time of year. The infertile ground was not good for growing vegetables, and the only available water villagers could get was from the forest two kilometers away.

For Fiona Fox, her father Amon had worked here for as long as she could remember. However, ever since she was five, he started going off for extended periods of time. That was because there was a war going on. Far away from her quite little village, an evil dictator was capturing mobians and turning them into slave robots, and her father was one of many in the fight against this tyrant. Young Fiona didn't understand what a robot was. She didn't really care about the war either, as it had nothing to do with her or her family. She just wanted her father to stay in the village, as her mom was always worried about him. Fiona's mother, Violet would often put on a brave face for her.

"Your father will be home very soon" she'd say.

At times he would return after being away for months, sporting wounds of various kinds all over his body. Though he would never show his pain, always pretending like it didn't hurt so his daughter wouldn't worry.

Fiona always wore a yellow bow in her hair. She only had a few friends as there weren't many other kids here. Families would come and go, and Fiona would make new friends, and then lose them. One thing she enjoyed was hearing about different places of Mobius, having only ever lived in the same place her whole life. Families from all over the planet would come here, some with strange clothes on, others would speak unusual dialects. She heard stories about wizards, and Overlanders and Dr. Robotnik. She was glad that she lived a long way away from Robotropolis, so that nothing bad would happen to her or her family as long as they stayed in the village. She was about to learn how wrong she was.

It was a regular day, as always workers were busy tolling away in the mines. Fiona's father had once again returned after a long absence, where he had taken out one of Robotnik's factories. She was spending time with him down at the river, which was about a mile away from the village. It wasn't a very deep river; it flowed along the outskirts of the small forest. They would walk through it, skipping stones along the surface while having some time between them.

"I was down here with Evan this one time" she explained, telling of her friend Evan the duck. "And we found this huge fish, it was like this big" she spread her arms out as long as their puny length would allow it.

"I've never seen a fish THAT big down here before" he joked. "Did it taste good?"

"We didn't eat it... it slipped away. But Evan's pretty cool; he gave me this thing that takes pictures of people. He said they had it where he used to live, in Mobotroplis."

"Have you taken any pictures yet?" he wondered.

"One" She said, skimming a stone along the rivers surface at the same time. "Evan took one of me and mommy I thought that maybe, I can take one of you. Since you're always gone and stuff...."

She stopped talking; her father knew she hated it when he was away. The war going on all over the rest of Mobius wasn't their war, but Amon knew that she couldn't understand that it could one day be brought right down to their doorstep. They walked on in silence for a few minutes more, till Fiona let out what he knew she wanted to say.

"Daddy, how long are you going to stay here with mommy and me?"

"For a couple more days, until my wounds heal." He answered, holding his hands behind his back.

"Why can't you stay for good?"

"Well, I'd like that myself, nothing would make me happier. But I can't."

"But everybody else's families stay together! I mean, you can just stay here and not worry about the rest of the Mobius!"

"Fiona, it is hard for me to describe... if I don't go, then nobody else will. If I don't fight, then eventually Robotnik will make his way up here. If that happens, I will lose you. Villages and towns, not unlike our own have been burnt to the ground by him."

"So why can't other people deal with it? Why does it have to be you!?" she started to cry. "Momma always gets worried when you're away, please stay daddy, please!!!"

He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder. "The number of those willing to stand up and fight is steadily decreasing. It's about doing what's right, for not just my own, but everybody's families. I fight to try to make the world a better place, for you to live in. I pray you never have to go through what countless mobians have. I love your mother and you, that's why I have to go soon. I know it's hard to understand, but know that I'm always thinking of you. It's because of you and your mother that I fight. You're what I'm protecting"

She shoved his hand aside and ran off.

"Fiona!" he yelled. "Please".

He started to run after her but then something in the far off distance caught his attention. Back at the village, he could see smoke rising, and hear the faint sound of screams. It was being invaded by Doctor Robotnik's armada.

"Fiona wait! The village is being attacked!!!"

She stopped running and looked towards the village. A wave of fear engulfed her heart.

"Daddy, what's going on? What's happening?!?!"

"It's what I've always feared. Robotnik must have tracked me here as I returned two days ago. Fiona, run, get far away. I'll be safe as long as you go as far from here as you can!" He knelt over and hugged her.  
"No! What about momma!?"

"She'll be alright, just GO!" He stared straight into her eyes, and for the first time in her life, she saw a side of her father she had never seen before. It was fear. Fear of her being captured. It was a look that frightened her more so than the robotic invasion itself. She always saw him as a strong, yet reserved fox. She hesitated for a second, and then ran off while her father headed towards the opposite direction. That was the last time she ever saw him, at least it seemed that way at the time....

She didn't want to go; she wanted to make sure her mom was safe. She had nowhere else to go. She couldn't keep running, as she felt like she would lose her family if she went any further, and was too scared being on her own. Tears swelled up in her eyes. It was going against what her father had told her, but she turned around and ran back towards the village, smoke growing thicker as she approached. She stayed hidden behind a stone fence. For the first time in her life, she saw what robots looked like. Swatbots to be precise. Flames reflected on their armor plating, making them seem even scarier to Fiona. She saw no sign of her mom or dad, but recognized some of the villagers that were being rounded up.

"Surrender all hope and prepare to be roboticized under penalty of Dr. Robotnik." They had a strange way of speaking, like they didn't stop to breath.

"Could this be the roboticized mobians I've had heard of?" she wondered.

Then came a strange floating pod, at its controls was the one she had heard so many times in stories, even though she didn't know who he was at the time. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, his menacing look and large physic was the stuff nightmares are made of. He descended to the ground and then hopped out of his pod.

"I've finally found it!!" he chuckled. "The infamous village where Diamondium is produced. Thanks to that stupid fox who led me back here, I'll be able to make superior Swatbots that will be indestructible!" He had a deep, commanding voice that made the fur on Fiona's neck stand up. "Search the village to see if there are any other vermin hiding under rocks; I don't need any hassles today."

Fiona turned around to sneak away, but a group of three swatbots had just found her. She gasped with fear, turning to run but it had grabbed her by her small bushy tail.  
"Surrender and prepare for complete roboticization, under penalty of Dr. Robotnik." It lifted Fiona off the ground by her tail, she was hanging upside down. It carried her over to Dr. Robotnik.

"Ah, look what we have here. A little fox girl, thinking she could evade my ever vigilante prowess. Toss her into the roboticizer." As the Swatbot went towards the cargo ship Fiona belted out...

"Where are my mom and dad? Where are they!!!?"

"Roboticized with the rest of your kind, fur ball. Hurry up and get her inside there!" he ordered to the swatbot.

"You're Doctor Robugnik aren't you!? You're the one doing bad things all over Mobius!?" she screamed, getting his name wrong. That infuriated him.  
"What, how dare you. It's Dr. Ivo. Robotnik. When you're roboticized you'll learn some respect you little pest." She had a look of anger on her face as the swatbot carried her away, a look she had never had before, one that Robotnik was familiar with.

"Wait", he signaled to the robot. "I know that stare. It's the same look I've seen on that loathsome fox Amon."  
"He's my daddy! He'll make you pay for what you did to my home!"

"Is that so? Well why don't we ask him ourselves shall we? Amon, report for duty!"

Out of one of Robotnik's small cruisers came a robot, which looked like her father, but couldn't have been. Yet the robot had a similar voice when it spoke, only it was more empty and hollow.

"What are your orders Doctor Robotnik sir?" it asked.  
"No. No it's not him, you're lying. It's not him!!!" She squirmed about trying to free herself from the swatbots hold, which made it grip harder. She yelped out in pain, giving up in defeat.

"HA HA HA HA HA. Now now little girl, that's no way to talk to your father, isn't that right Amon?"

"Yes sir, Dr. Robotnik." He spoke with no emotion, but there was no denying it, beneath the cold metal frame was her father, as much as she didn't want to believe it. She had heard the stories of Mobians being turned into robot slaves, but she didn't realize how horrible and scary it was until now.

"Since Amon and I are such good pals now," Robotnik chuckled, "I'll send you off to my special concentration camp. You can be a guinea pig for my Top secret research. Swatbot, release the girl!"

"As you wish Dr. Robotnik sir." He released her, and she fell flat on her chest.

"Amon, escort the prisoner to the cruiser heading to my concentration camp at once!"

"Yes Sir Dr. Robotnik." He walked over to Fiona; she was too scared to do anything.

"D-daddy... please don't. It's me Fiona! You said you loved me, and momma. You were going to save her, if you really are my daddy then you'll stop that bad man and rescue momma."

He jerked her by the arm without hesitation, as if she hadn't said anything. He dragged her to the ship while she was kicking and screaming. His hands were cold and hard just like the swatbots, and it showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Don't do this, fight it! Please!!! I'm sorry for not listening to you daddy, but I was worried about you and momma. STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!" she continued kicking and screaming until they got to the ship. He threw her inside, where there were other Mobians, some from this village, others from neighboring towns. She looked up, and looked into is eye plates. Once again she had seen a look on her father she had never seen before, but it was no longer his face. It wasn't a look of fear, or sadness, but one of emptiness. The roboticized Amon for just one moment appeared to be confused. He looked up at Fiona, as the door was closing, and said,

"Fi-on-na? I lu-luv"- the door shut darkening the cell, and the ship took off.

She would never know if that was him or not, or if he had regained consciousness for that brief moment. But once again she had seen her father for the very last time.

Under her breath, as the ship took off, she whispered to herself "Goodbye... daddy."

**Present Day:**

Fiona had woken up from her dream, thinking about her father. It was the day after the raid on the necropolis of Osiris. Fiona and Nic' got back home early in the morning. Fiona had gone straight to bed; her throat was still a bit sore from earlier. Nic' stayed up reveling in their catch. Fiona slept a lot, Nic' always thought she was a bit of a space case, though that hardly does Fiona any justice.

It was now daylight outside but she wouldn't know it, living in an underground facility in the middle of a jungle. Apparently Nic' got this place in a gamble she made with a wealthy aristocrat cheetah, but when he lost he blew his castle up and handed her the keys. All that was left is this underground storage area which also acted as a hidden escape route. Though with Nic' the Weasel you could never be too sure if her stories were true or not, honesty not being a weasel's strong point.

Fiona, after much deliberation forced her way out of bed and walked over to her dresser draw. She grabbed a brush and started stroking it through her brown hair. Her reflection showed that she was still in a bit of pain from last night, sporting a few bruises, but it's nothing she can't handle. She then tidied up her hair and put her yellow bow on. It's the only memento she has of her childhood, so she still wears it even though she has outgrown it.

She exited her room, coming out into a large passageway with lots of doors. Fiona has never actually looked inside every room, but most of them contain crates full of stuff she'd rather not know about. Besides, as much as she considers this place home, it's really Nic's house.

Nic' was in the main foyer of the facility, sitting on her King chair (she stole it from one of King Acorn's holiday resorts). The main room has an arching rooftop, with some old century craftsmanship. There were stone pillars on the side of the room and the pebble floor gave it a unique look for what could be considered a bunker. All kinds of paintings that Nic' had stolen over the years rested on the walls, some hanging lopsided. The wooden table was stacked with treasures they'd stolen from Heliopolis last night. Some dated centuries back. Nic' was examining them all with her microscope.

"Yes, well aren't you a pretty thing" she said to the gold scarab, that had a red ruby embedded in it. "Pretty priceless I mean, ha-ha. Hey Fiona, can you believe all this. We'd only need half of this and we'd never go broke. I could give up being a bounty hunter for good...... but then life would be boring. You know, if I coul- Oh my, do you know what this is!?"

Fiona, not being a jewel aficionado knew that Nic' knew she didn't know what it was.

"Something priceless I bet."

"Not just anything, it's the opal choker that was worn by Queen Nefertiti!"

Nic' kept going on about diamonds and staffs, beads and other accessories. Fiona knew better than to be around her when she's idolizing jewelry and went into the kitchen. The kitchen was almost always empty, she opened the fridge to find it mostly cleaned out, save for a few a few left-over meals from yesteryear. They often eat out since neither one of them can cook. Even with all the riches they had, it still looked like they were broke sometimes. Fiona took out a sandwich that was made two days ago.

"I hope that you're not touching that sandwich I made Fi' (that was what Nic' often called Fiona, pronounced "fee")!" Nic' was always stingy, so they both have their own sides of the fridge. Not that Fiona cared; she knew Nic' was too interested in the jewels to care about a sandwich.

Fiona left the foyer after devouring Nic's leftover sandwich and headed up the stairs towards the entrance. She got on a platform and pressed a red button on the side-panel. It lifted up while the hatch above opened up to the outside jungle. The platform stopped at ground level, and Fiona came out into the middle of a large gathering of flora and fauna that created a kind of dome, a hollow hiding place artificially placed there by Nic' to conceal the outside entrance. As far as any who might pass would be concerned (not that anybody did, they were out in the jungle after all), it was just more tangled vines and fallen trees amongst the ruins of a once large castle. Rays of sunlight cut through the branches the gaps in leaves and branches. It was very hot out here, a big change in climate from the air conditioned recesses of Nic's compound.

Fiona closed the hatch and walked over to the wall of trees, pushing aside branches and vines in the side of the entanglement. It was late in the afternoon and, and the air was humid and muggy, which was typical whether for the jungle. Rarely would it ever rain out here, though when it does it won't stop for days. She would often go out for a hike, as staying underground for too long can make one feel claustrophobic. She ran through the jungle, cutting aside vines and avoiding the quicksand by running around it. She knew the layout of this area of the jungle, and knew where all the pitfalls and traps were. Snake nests can be trouble if you accidentally step into one, as they don't like to have visitors over. Fiona recalled how she had almost fallen into one a year ago, looking down to see the hissing and their excitement at having dinner delivered to them. Luckily she had grabbed onto the side and pulled herself up, to the disappointment of the snakes. The jungle wasn't meant for foxes, and Fiona was sweating through her fur. But she had grown tough, and just like all creatures, she could adapt to her environment.

She had made her way towards a nearby mountain, which rose high above the clouds. It was a steep climb, one she has made quite often. There weren't any paths to walk up, so she had to climb up using her own wits. She knew which spots are safe to climb up, and where to place her hands and legs. It had become second nature, so much so that she didn't use a grappling hook. One slip and it would be all over. Of course the trick to climbing is always not to look down, but she wasn't really afraid of heights. She had to stop half way to have a fifteen-minute rest and then continued on upwards. When she finally got to the top after a two and a half hour climb, she sat down at her usual spot, against a rock and looked down on the jungle below. It had become a familiar sight these past two and a half years, ever since her and Nic' moved from the small hut they were living in at the Mobian badlands. The large river ran through the jungle, cutting between the mountain she was on, and the one opposite it. It flowed out to the end of a hill, which became a waterfall down below. The entrance port for Nic's _Bounty One_ was through a hole behind the waterfall, which was a large tunnel that went on for about three-hundred meters, arriving at the underground hanger for the compound they lived in. It was a peaceful existence being up here, soaring above the clouds, with nothing but the sound of wind blowing in her ears. It was a serene and beautiful sight to watch the sun setting over the jungle, the horizon going an orangey-pink color. It was a great way for her to unwind after long missions in far off places. Often she would sleep up here for a night, since she would still be tired from climbing all the way up to the top. She closed her eyes for awhile, and left this plane of consciousness, her dreams turned to nightmares, taking her back to the concentration camp she was trapped in for two years in...

**Four years ago:**

It was dark and damp, and there was nobody else around to talk to. She had been taken away from her fellow mobians and placed into lockdown after the fiasco with Sonic the hedgehog and Mighty the Armadillo at another location. She had hoped that they had been looking for her all this time, and that she would be rescued from by them, or her father. That was what sustained her for months on end. It was scary for a little girl of nine to be left alone for such a long period of time. The closest thing she had to company was the swatbots that maintained the place. The only living visitor she ever had was Dr. Robotnik himself, along with a robotic clone of herself. She had been replaced by a metallic being, instead of being roboticized. "Why?" she wondered. Whatever the answer, she never found out what happened to the robot or why Dr. Robotnik left her there to rot. After a while their visits became far and few between. Starvation kicked in, the swatbots came around every couple of days with water and dry bread. After a year she started feeling sick and that was when she gave up hope of anybody rescuing her. She sometimes wished she had been roboticized along with her family, at least then she wouldn't be alone. Anger kicked in, anger at Sonic and Mighty for letting her get taken away, anger that her father always ran off to fight Robotnik leaving her behind, anger that she couldn't do a thing to save her village.

It became apparent that Dr. Robotnik had lost interest in the base, his attentions were elsewhere. So that's when she began to dig. For what felt like forever, she dug and dug, underneath the compound. Even when she was tired or feeling sick, she didn't stop. Nobody was going to save her, so if she didn't try then she would just rot here until she died. She hated being stuck in a small tunnel for days on end, it made her feel claustrophobic. It's because of this that she hates being confined to small places for too long.

When she came out after almost a year of digging, the light was too bright for her eyes and she had to shield them. She had not seen the sun for two whole years. She tried her hardest to look around at where she was, though everything looked blurry. It was hard to see, but after a few minutes she realized, she was still inside the camp. She had not dug her way outside to freedom, but rather out into the courtyard of the facility. All that time she had spent digging, just to end up in the same place she started. She covered her eyes from the sun, peering out of the hole to see if there were any sentries around. Since she didn't see or hear anything, she crawled out of hole she'd dug, her fur covered in dirt. She ran for cover at a nearby wall, waiting to see if anything would come out, but still nothing did. She began to realize that this place was deserted. The main gate to the courtyard was left open. Still in a bit of shock from her realization that she was free, from a prison that had been abandoned, she walked over to the front gate. She exited to find the forest that she saw when she was brought here, only it was a lot more barren than she remembered it. It occurred to her that she didn't know where she was, or what she'd do next. She wanted to be with her family, but they were roboticized. She was lost, scared and overwhelmed. It was there that she met Nic' for the first time, her first contact in years.

"A weasel! You're not safe scavenging these parts!"

"Oh yeah?" Nic', on assignment raised her gun and cautioned the dazed fox.

"Easy there foxy, no sudden moves." Fiona froze, wondering if the weasel was one of Robotnik's dupes.

"Wh-who are you?" asked Fiona.

"Sorry sister, I ask the questions around here. First you tell me who you are, and then maybe I'll be in a mood to reciprocate. If I hear something I don't like, I'll have to kill ya." She said, nodding to her phaser. Fiona wasn't scared, just happy to see somebody, and yet still feeling shook up inside.

"I-I'm Fiona, Fiona the fox. I was just... I was prisoner here for a long time..." she began to cry. "I just want to be with my family.... D-do you know where they are Miss!? Please tell me if you do! I don't want to be alone, not anymore." She looked up at her desperately.  
"I... I dunno. Not my problem kid." she said, feeling a bit guilty now.

Fiona crawled up to Nic' and started hugging her. She looked up at her and sobbed, "Won't you please help me find my parents miss, please!"

Nic' was beginning to feel a bit sympathetic, but she didn't want any hassles. The fifteen year old weasel liked things nice and simple, with no complications.

"Sorry kid, but I've gotta go. Best of luck." She pushed Fiona aside, and she fell to the ground. She started crying so hard she could be heard a mile away. Unfortunately for Nic' who was on the run after stealing from a local tribe of wolves, they had found them both. Fiona could see a Wolf behind a tree duck out and aim an arrow at Nic's head. He released it, Fiona running over to Nic' and jumping, knocking her over before it could hit.

"Hey!!! Get off of me you little twerp!" she yelled, lying face down on the ground.

"That wolf fired an arrow at you!" Nic' looked over at the tree to see that an arrow had pierced it. The two of them got up to see that the wolf was ready to fire again. Nic' who was bigger than Fiona pulled her out of harms way,

"Phew, that was close" the weasel sighed. They were hiding behind a tree, the wolves were waiting for them to try and make a dash for it.

"Listen, thanks for saving my life and all, umm Himona",

"Fiona!" she corrected.

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't think I owe you anything, I can take care of myself"-

"Why are they after you" she asked, her eyes still a bit red from crying.

"Well, that's my business. They had valuable goods that belonged to me (well at least they do now), so I was just.... Reclaiming them, yeah that's the word." Fiona looked at her, with a stern look on her face.

"Do you mean, you were stealing from them miss weasel?"

"Hey, you're pretty bratty kid. If it's valuable then it belongs to me, so mind your own"-

"Come out and return the sacred urn traitor!" shouted a wolf from behind the bushes, stopping Nic' in mid-sentence.

"Traitor? So, you're a thief are you?" Fiona said smiling.

"Yeah so what if I am? Listen, if you wanna run that way and cause a distraction that'd be great." Nic' ordered.

"No, I don't think I want to. In fact, I think I should have half a mind to hand you over to them myself." She threatened.

"You'll do nothing of a sort" she said, raising a knife to her throat. Fiona wasn't scared at all. She put her hand on the weasel's hand, and lowered the knife.

"How about we make a deal. I'll help you out, if you take me from here and help me find my parents."

"Hah! I'm not the kind to make deals, and what says I need your help anyways. I'll escape here fine by myself." She kicked the fox out from behind the tree trunk, gaining the attention of the wolves' arrows as she ran in the opposite direction. Fiona managed to get back behind the tree before she was shot, but the wolves had caught Nic' in a net. Now she was feeling a bit more desperate.

"Things aren't looking too good for you!" shouted Fiona over to where Nic' was captured. "Oh well, best of luck to you" she teased.

"No no no no no no. Wait up kid. Okay, I'm sorry for ditching you just before. You help me out, and I'll help you with whatever you want. Promise."

"Well, I'm not sure I can trust you now. I could probably find help elsewhere."

"No please! C'mon help a girl out here. You save me; you can stay with me till we find your family okay. Just hurry up!"

Fiona, who knew the wolves weren't going to approach Nic' until they had captured her too (they probably thought she was working with her), crawled up the tree and leaped across from one branch to another. She positioned her self just above where they were hiding behind the bush, and jumped down on the wolves, knocking them out one by one. She was small and fast, so they didn't see where she had come from. Nic' looked on at the young fox's abilities, rather impressed herself though she wouldn't say it. After Fiona had taken care of the wolves she went over to Nic' and freed her from the net.

"Well, you're pretty strong for a kid. I would've escaped from the net myself though, just needed a few more minutes."  
"Yeah yeah.' She chuckled.

"Well, looks like I'm stuck with you now. I got a few rules, and you have to live by them. I don't like no crying, hugging, joking and singing, I don't want to have to baby-sit you every minute, so just stay out of my face and we'll get along just fine. There's a few more, but I'll tell ya later."

"So, what's your name?" Fiona asked.

"Oh that. Names Nicollet the Weasel, but you can just call me Nic'. We better get back to the rendezvous point where my brothers waiting. C'mon Himona!"

"It's Fi-on-a!" she corrected.

"Whatever... Fi'!"

**Present day:**

It was now night-time in the jungle. You would hear all kind of noises here at night, some you'd be better off not knowing what they were. The night sky was full of stars, not a patch of it was left empty or devoid of clusters and nebulae. She looked up at the moon, a piece of it missing like always. She'd heard there was some big fight with Sonic the hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik and that it was the doctors doing. Just one more thing he's taken that can never be fixed.

She lost her train of thought when a loud noise rumbled throughout the jungle, silencing all the insects and other creatures for they were half frightened by it. Fiona knew exactly what it was, and surely enough the noise of exhaust engines grew closer, then a large metallic disc came over her, like a lunar eclipse blanketing the sky.

It was Nic's Falcon class cruiser, _Bounty One_, one of the fastest of her kind thanks to Nic's modifications. It hovered in midair, making all sorts of mechanical noises. The hatch door opened from the side and a rope was thrown out, followed by her partner signaling her to climb up it.

"Hurry up and get in!" she called out.

Fiona got up slowly (still a bit dazed and tired from lying there for hours), grabbed the rope and climbed up it. "Business as usual" she thought to herself. Once Fiona was aboard, _Bounty One_ took off, almost breaking the sound barrier.

........................................................................

They arrived at the Mobian badlands only ninety minutes later, which was not bad for sixteen-thousand miles of distance, over two continents. They landed the ship and locked it up; around here you could never be too safe. Nic' had rewired the Falcon so that it only activates with her and Fiona's handprint, otherwise its system shuts off. The two of them walked up the steep hill emerging from the woods to a location they often visit.

The sign read: "Saint Alamo's Cook House". Fancy name for such a run down dive. It's a gathering place for criminals, Bounty hunters and other vermin. It's appearance suggests that it has been poorly maintained. The place itself looks like it used to be a school of some sort, as there are a lot of desks scattered around outside. The concrete bricks now had moss growing on it, while graffiti is tagged with all sorts of names and slogans. The places central structure is built around a large tree, which comes out at the top of the roof of the three-story building, making the cook house look more like a tree house. The longest roots of the tree stretched out twenty-five meters, sticking out like an Octopuses tentacle waving about at sea.

It was only a few days ago that the two girls came here, and met an old looking duck with a patch over his eye, who sold them a map of an ancient tomb. It listed all the traps and perils within, and he gave it away for a fair price. The two of them were suspicious, but as it turned out, the map was right on the mark, and they came back from the final resting place of Osiris a lot richer. Though it seemed strange why he wouldn't use it for himself. Nic' believed he thought the necropolis was cursed like all the natives of Heliopolis, and thought he'd sell the map to gain a profit rather than trying to pillage it himself. If she ever saw him again, Fiona would ask him why he gave them the map.

"Why are we here again?" Fiona asked.

"I told you, we can never be too rich. 'Sides, I'm still on a high after last night. If we're lucky we'll get a case that takes us to another goldmine."

Fiona never really cared about the money, it was just her job. It was what kept her occupied, when she wasn't following leads looking for her folks. Though it has been four years since Nic' promised to help look for her parents, be they at one of Robotnik's factories or not, and they still hadn't found them. Fiona had lost faith long ago, and they had given up looking for them, but part of her still hoped she'd find them... one day.

Inside was even more run down the outside. The place stank of all kinds of malodorous fumes; there was a large fish tank with dead fish in it, and lots of other discarded items. There was a bar that positioned itself against the main trunk of the tree, with stairs spiraling around it up to the second and third floors. All kinds of suspicious people lurked about here, some Fiona recognized as the "familiars". There was smoke in the air as a Lynx at one table light his cigar. An Ox, a Walrus and a Leopard nearby quarreled over a dispute they had.

The floorboards creaked as the two girls walked across the room. They walked up to a small counter at one side of the room, behind it somebody was sleeping with a newspaper over their head. Nic' leaned over the counter, lifted up the newspaper and screamed in his face.

"WAKE UP YA LAZY GIT!!!" He jumped out of his seat in a fright, and fell over. He got up off the floor, putting his glasses on to see who it was. He was an old looking hare with dark brown fur, but had the complexion of somebody you wouldn't want to mess with. He had a red coat on, with a necklace around his neck that read "Boss", which is what Mobians around here called him. As far as they were concerned, his real name didn't matter. He just hands out the assignments. He sipped a glass of water and gave Nic' a nasty stare.

"I'm in no mood for your shenanigans weasel. You'll be getting no information out of me 'till I see the money you owe me. Let's see..." He grabbed his calculator and started tallying up numbers.

"That'll be two-thousand five hundred for the night-vision glasses you borrowed and never brought back. Ten thousand for the damage to my ship the _Wing Blade_ took when I saved your butt out of Goldenhive three months back. Then there was the..."

Nic' threw a pile of jewels from her winnings yesterday down on the counter, his face quickly changing to a look of greed.

"Heh, I take it everything went well in Heliopolis. So what can I do for ya?" he said, while hiding away the treasures before any of the scum hanging around saw what he had.

"Knew you'd see it my way. So let's see the call sheet." The call sheet was a list of jobs, sometimes recon, sometimes hit jobs; other times plain old fashioned rescue missions. Being a Bounty Hunter, you weren't a good or bad guy, you're just doing a job, and clients would pay good money for a bounty hunter.

"Let's see what we have here" she said. "Client.... Jack Rabbit, the job: Kill Sonic? Okay next one, $1,000,000,000 hit for the head of Sonic the Hedgehog, signed Dr. Robotnik." She kept browsing through the sheets, getting impatient and frustrated at anything mentioning the hedgehog.

"20,000,000 Mobian dollars for the one who brings me Tails the Fox alive, client: Crocbot."  
She threw the papers down on the desk and shouted out "Are there any jobs that aren't about the stupid Freedom Fighters!?!?!?"

"A few" Boss replied. He pointed to a much smaller pile of call sheets. Nobody ever wanted to mess with the Freedom Fighters, and yet there were so many willing to pay for them to be killed. Nic' knew any jobs with Dr. Robotnik hiring always turn out bogus, since her brother Nack had dealings with him in the past.

"That's just swell. If I ever do meet any of the Freedom Fighters I'll off them just for the fun of it." She moved on to the next pile.

**Three and a half years ago:**

It had been awhile since Fiona had been home. Last time it was being overrun by swatbots. Nic' had brought her up here, since she had been bugging her about it. Nic' had just returned from a mission, that didn't go over to well. Fiona was still inexperienced so Nic' just left her on the ship for the more dangerous missions.

As the twelve year old looked around, she saw that it had been abandoned just like the concentration camp she was in. Homes were demolished. Mining carts were scattered all over the place. Where the caves used to be, is now just a big ditch. Dr. Robotnik did end up digging out all the diamondium and using them for the advanced swatbots. It wasn't the welcome home party she wanted, but it was what she expected. As she walked among the tattered ruins of her house, she found a few things like books she used to read, some of her parents clothes lying around. It wasn't until she noticed stuck under some debris, that there was a photograph lying there. It had been bent under the rubble, but she recognized the picture and remembered it well. It was the photo her friend Evan the Duck had taken of her and her mother. The sight of seeing her mother again for the first time in years made her cry. Nic' was just sitting around rather uninterested, so Fiona hid her face so that her companion wouldn't see her crying (Nic's rule: No Crying).

She wished she had a photo of her father, but she never got to take one. As she sulked over the picture for awhile longer, her feelings inside changed. She stopped crying, realized what the photo really meant. It was nothing more than a memory frozen in time. As hard as it was, she knew she had to move on if she wanted to grow up. The truth was: the picture won't bring back her parents. It was no use crying over it, and she would remember the one thing she didn't have everyday if she kept it.

When you're forced out of home, and have to leave your parents, you have to grow up and stop relying on them. She was alone, and until she found them, she wasn't going to think about them too much. She was going to be a Bounty Hunter, just like Nic'. She split the photo in two, separating herself from her mother. She walked over to Nic', who knew she had been crying but didn't mention it.

"So... how are ya?"

"Let's... let's just get out of here.... and go home."

**Present day:**

****  
Fiona went over to the bar, to let Nic' fuss over what job to take. As she passed a table, a gang of crooks looked at her, obviously looking at her the way a predator looks at its prey. A leopard at the table called out,

"Hey there foxy, why don't you join us? A cute young thing like you shouldn't be all by yourself in a place like this, you could get hurt." The other Mobians at the table all laughed with him.

"Now I don't wanna see you cryin' like a cub, and I ain't gonna save ya if sumfing bad happens. So come 'ere and sit next ta Uncle Leonid and let me look afta ya, kapeesh?" Fiona paid no attention and sat at the bar.

"What'll it be young lady" said the sad looking toad at the bar.

"Just... just some peanuts thanks." He handed her a bowl of peanuts then went back to cooking. The old toad had been working here as long as Fiona could remember, and he always had the same sad look on his face. This place had seen its share of fights and power struggles over the years, and ownership changes, but he's always worked at the bar. Guess no one else really wanted to. Some say he used to be a teacher here when it was a school, and that he had nowhere else to go.

From behind her, Leonid, who hadn't given up came and sat right next to Fiona. He slammed his cup down on the bench and looked straight at her.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me properly, wit your ears under that girly hair of yours. Come wit' me and I'll show you a good time. Ya wanna see the back of my ship?"  
"Not interested" she retorted.

"Ya jus' don't geddit do ya kid? I'm not askin' ya, I'm telling ya ta come wit' me. Learn your place in the world you little brat!" He got off his stool, picking it up at the same time. He went to hit Fiona with it but she jumped out of the way, off her stool. He turned around and came at her again, she ducked and he tripped over her, crashing onto a nearby table. He lifted himself up, and snarled at her, exposing his sharp teeth.

"You're dead little girl!"

"Edward!" she signaled to the toad at the bar. "Throw me a bottle of your finest wine!"

"Sure thing little lady." He tossed her over a bottle expensive wine.

"Well, at least the service here is fast." She said.

Leonid picked up a knife and threw it at Fiona. He missed her face, but it slashed her a bit on her right arm. She jumped up on a table and hit him over the head with the wine bottle. He toppled over onto the floor. He mumbled words of insults, as he drifted out of consciousness.

She covered the wound on her arm with her other hand, as blood poured out between her fingers. Nic' came over, missing all the action.

"Sheesh, can't you ever stay out of trouble?"

"It's not my-oww-fault." Her arm was stinging. "He attacked me first!"

"Yeah sure, you're a real saint. Come on, we'll bandage that up in my ship. I just found us a job that'll pay big moolah!" Fiona looked over to the bar where Edward the toad was still at work as if nothing had happened.

"Hey Eddie!" she called. "Put that bottle of wine on his tab", she pointed to Leonid on the floor, drool running out of his mouth.

Without signaling that he even heard her, he nodded his head and said in a low voice "sure thing little lady, seeya again real soon."

As the duo of Fiona and Nic left "Saint Alamo's", Fiona remarked. "I guess it's true about Leopards, they really can't change their spots."

"Har-har, you're such a comedian" Nic' replied in a bitter tone, never really having a sense of humor." I'll book you a gig on stage sometime."

The two of them got into _Bounty One_, and sped off towards their next big job...

**_Go to the next chapter of Fiona's Odyssey..._**


	3. Pt 3 The Prowler of Paisley Village

**-Chapter Three-**

The Prowler of Paisley Village.

_(The Fox, the Flute & the Rats. Part One)_

They had arrived in a quite little sector of Mobius, up in the northern hemisphere (north-west of Mercia). There were many small villages all over the planet, a lot of which weren't under Dr. Robotnik's control. Up here was one of them. Nestled between the dark grey mountains, deep within the forest was Paisley Village, a town far away from the rest of the world. The fact that there were large mountains on all sides made the town seem like it was in the middle of a large basin. The cliffs nearby the village looked far down on northern sea below, a long drop for anyone to fall.

Nic' had to land the _Bounty One_ about half a mile away from the village since it was the only flat place she could find. They walked to the village they had seen while landing the ship. Fiona couldn't help but think of her old Home when she walked through the town, despite hers being a lot poorer then this one. The last time she saw her village was when she returned soon after she escaped from the concentration camp, only to find it deserted. This village however, was far from deserted. Generations of families have grown up here, living in the same house for a lifetime, growing up with the same families and friends. It's what Fiona never had, the kind of life she didn't think she could ever have...

The village was very old, and its look reflected it. The houses were made of stone, as was the pebbled pavement. It was actually a larger village than they had realized, as all the houses were packed in closely together. Everything looked the same, the homes, the markets; it made it hard to find what they were looking for. As the fox and weasel walked down the main street they noticed that the villagers gave them stern looks. Obviously they knew that the two girls were from out of town, but the fact that they were getting the cold shoulder really made them feel uncomfortable.

"Gee the reception here is a bit cold. What's with all the nasty looks?" Fiona asked as she tried avoiding eye contact with the locals.

"Never mind them" said Nic', taking off her hat and scratching her head, "they just ain't used to getting visitors, living in this waste bucket. We just gotta find our client, and hope he's got the kinda money he says he does. According to Boss, he practically asked for us by name. Guess that's how word of mouth advertising works" she said proudly.

"This place isn't so bad. Maybe one day when you grow old and have kids you'll come and live here" she joked.

"A place like this would just bring me down to your level. But if you like it so much I can dump ya here after I've finished, and you can live happily ever after."

"I was just joking. This kind of place isn't where I belong."

"Well when you do figure out where you do belong, let me know and I'll drop you off there."

As they walked under a bridge that arches over towards the second floor homes, they arrived in the town square. For some reason it wasn't very busy, and the few people that were out looked like they were in a bit of a rush to get what they needed and get back inside. Nic' noticed some people running indoors. "Sheesh, jumpy aren't they?"

They stood looking around. All the kiosks were shut down, and it was starting to rain. Fiona hated the smell of her fur when it got wet, as it stunk for days. As they looked around for somebody to ask for directions, she saw a young duck girl zip past her and grabbed the girl before she could pass. "Hey Nic' what's the name of this guy we're looking for?"

"It's, ummm" she got out the piece of paper that had his name on it. "Emmerich... I think." Her confidence wasn't very reassuring that Nic' knew what she was doing. Fiona looked at the fox girl, letting go of her arm and kindly asked,

"Do you know where we can find a guy called Emmerich?"  
"P-p-please don't hurt me Ms, please!"

"I'm not, I just wanted to kn"-

"Help me please! Somebody help me!" she screamed out, calling more attention to them.

"Zip your mouth kid, before I do it for you" ordered Nic', shutting the girls beak with her hands.

"Nic', she's just a kid. Let her go." For once she listened to her, and let go of the kid. The girl ran off terrified.

"Well that went well." said Nic'.

"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind them. He was a lion who looked like he was in his late forties. He was rather skinny, and wore a blue cloak over himself.

"Uhh. We need help looking for a guy called Emmerich" she said.

"Emmerich eh? What business do you have with him may I ask?"

"Business of our own gramps. I don't pry into your personal life, so just show us the way and stop being so nosey." Nic' rudely suggested.

"Ahh, you're the ones he sent for. I apologize for being inquisitive." He said, rather offended by the weasel. "Very well, take the street over that way and keep going to the end until you get to the border wall of the village. And then turn right and it's the second house on the left."

"Oh. Well thank you Mr...."

"Warrick."

They followed his directions as best as they could, and eventually arrived at the door of the house. It had a sign plate next to it that read "Emerich, Josephine and Alicia's home". Next to Alicia's name was a space that looked like it used to have a name that was scratched off. Fiona wondered if a family member had passed away.

"Looks like this is it" said Fiona.

"It's nice to know you're as obvious as ever Fi'."  
After they knocked, and waited a minute in the rain, standing shivering in the cold. A young girl peered out between the crack in the door, they could hear somebody in the background ask "Who is it Alicia dear?"

"I dunno they look like strangers" she answered.

"Who's she calling strange?" Nic' thought to herself.

The girl disappeared from the gap in the door and seconds later a large male cat pulls the door open and says "Well, you must be the Bounty Hunters I sent for, Nic' and Fiona right?" They nodded. "Well, come on in quickly before you get wet!" he said in a loud booming voice.

"Bit late for that" Fiona thought to herself.

Inside was a very small room. The main door opened straight into what served as a lounge and kitchen. There was a stove at one side of the room, just near the stairs that went up to the second floor. It was very cozy, and warm. They obviously weren't rich, which led Nic' to believe that he didn't have the kind of money he said he did in the call sheet. The cat handed them each towels and they went and stood near the fireplace.  
"Sorry about Alicia" said the cat, "she's not used to seeing strangers in town. Oh, where are my manners. I'm Emmerich, the one who sent for you two. This here is my wife Josephine" he signaled to the female cat that looked to be off in her own world, knitting on the rocking chair; she gave them no notice. Emmerich was in his forties, had a strong look about him and had dark blue fur. His wife Josephine however looked to be rather frail, and she seemed to be squinting real hard even with her glasses on. She never gave them a single glance.

"And of course, you already met our only daughter, Alicia", the cat was sitting on the stairs looking at them in a strange manner. She looked to be about eight years old, and her fur was a pale brown color. She wore a light green dress and had a necklace around her with a silver chain, but was tucked under her collar so Fiona couldn't tell what it was.

"Alicia, go up to your room, I have important things to discuss with these nice ladies." She turned and walked up the small staircase, her tail drooping behind her from under her dress.

"Would you girls like some tea? Perhaps some toast with jam?"

"No tha"-

"No toast or tea, but if you've got any rum, then lay it on me." Nic' said, rudely interrupting Fiona.

"Sorry, I'm afraid we don't. If you'd like, I can go out and get some for you."

"Nah, skip it. I'd rather just get this over with. Let's just get down to business shall we? From what I read in the call sheet, you've got some kinda Prowler lurking about the streets at night. And you needed us specifically to take care of this, care to tell me why?"

"Well, I'd heard that you were some of the best Bounty Hunters for hire" he said while sipping his coffee. "I was surprised you'd answer my call, I'd thought you would have overlooked such an odd request."

"Well, it wasn't so much as the job that caught my attention" she smirked, baring her fang, "It was the price tag that caught my eye. Y'know, I'm starting to think you don't have the kinda money you'd said you had. Ya don't seem rich to me."

"We're not. But this Prowler, lately he's been going around kidnapping children at night, more frequently. The whole town has banded together and has gathered the money I said I'd give you, if you capture the prowler that is and find the whereabouts of the missing children. I understand you don't kill, that's why I hired you girls. We want him brought in alive so we can properly apprehend him and deal him his sentence.

"Yeah, thanks to miss sunshine's NO-KILL policy." she pointed to Fiona, her fur still looking a bit wet, and starting to smell. "Though, if the whole town is paying for this gig, why the cold reception outside. It didn't look like a Happy-to-see-you kinda situation."  
"The town is a bit restless at the moment, it's.... it's just something we'd like to see come to pass. We don't want to lose any more children, and I couldn't bare it to lose Alicia."

"You still haven't told me why you couldn't take care of this yourselves? The whole town could easily take care of this without forking out so much dough. Something you're not telling me?"

"I thought Bounty Hunters didn't ask any questions?" he said.

"Well, I'm askin' one now!"

"Nic' please, calm down" Fiona pleaded. "We'll take the job Mr. Emmerich." She said, taking charge. Nic' usually took care of the business side of things.

"I'm pleased to hear it. Well at any rate, he never comes out while the sun is up, so feel free to stay here for the rest of the day if you'd like."  
"You can help me knit if you girls would like" said Josephine out of the blue, surprising Fiona and Nic'.

"That's just swell" Nic' bellowed.

.............................................................

There wasn't much else to do. Nic' had gone down to the pub for a few drinks. Fiona decided to go up stairs and talk to Alicia, since there was nothing else to do. Up on the second floor there were only three doors, all leading into bedrooms. One was shut; the other looked like a master bedroom. There were pictures hanging on the wall, many of them were ripped in certain parts, it looked like somebody had cut out somebody from them, maybe the same person who's name was scratched off the plate at the front door.. Fiona walked to the end of the small hall, looked through the door and saw the small girl, playing with her doll house. Fiona stepped through the door, the girl paying no attention to her. She noticed the girl was talking quietly to herself.

"Is she the one, Kit'?" she said as she was holding a fox doll.

"_Yes, at last._" she had changed her voice to a slightly lower tone. "_It looks like the end will be upon us soon. Tomorrow I will leave you. You'll be alright though, I promised I'd never_ _hurt you_."

"No" she now said in a louder more desperate voice, throwing her doll to the ground. "Please don't hurt them! It's not their fault. My daddy, he's the"-

"Hey! Are you okay?" Fiona asked. The girl turned around looking startled. She looked like she had been sweating, and her eyes seemed a bit faint. She took a few deep breaths, and stood up and apologized.

"I'm... I'm sorry; I was just playing with my dolls. I didn't know you were standing there."

She was a lot more receptive than she was before. Fiona was still a bit confused. "Was she role-playing with her dolls, or talking to herself?" the fox wondered. Either way, the girl continued,

"Do you wanna play with me Ms...?"

"Just Fiona." She said smiling.

"Alicia" the young cat said, bowing her head, before pulling Fiona over to the corner where the doll house was. They sat down and had an imaginary tea party with the dolls. Fiona remembered playing with dolls and having invisible tea parties as a kid. Part of her missed it; she was forced to grow up too fast. Part of her still felt like that nine year old girl who was plucked from her village and locked away for two years. But most of all she wondered if there was more than just herself and Alicia present...

......................................................

Day was now night, The rain had halted about an hour ago, the dark blue sky was still a bit cloudy, and the moon was barely visible. Fiona and Nic' had left the small house hours ago, and were just scoping the place out looking for anything suspicious. Though in a small town like this, everything would seem suspicious out at night, even themselves! It was freezing cold, and Fiona wished she'd brought a jacket. A lot of the town was asleep, with a scant few still up, as you could tell from the light that slips between the gaps of curtains. The mountains beyond the forest could be seen from the town, the night time making them seem cold and lonely. They were large and jagged, not like the mountains of the jungle that Fiona's used to.

It was deafeningly quite out here, so quite in fact that Fiona and Nic's footsteps seemed to reverberate for miles on.

"Where do you think we should start looking first Nic'?" asked Fiona.

"We'll get up onto the rooftops, and scope things out. If anything happens we'll have a better chance of seeing it from above." They looked around for a good spot to get up onto the roofs. The roofs of the town were all close together, making it perfect to scale the town.  
Fiona found a stairway that went up to a small lookout that was about three stories high. The two of them, climbed up the spiral staircase, making it to the top. As it was, this lookout was a bell tower, not only used to tell the time at certain intervals of the day, but for important occasions such as weddings. It had an open door balcony so that the two of them could hop up on the railing, and jump over onto the tiled rooftop. They could see all the way to the other side of town now. It was pretty big for a small community, and there were plenty of narrow alley ways and unevenly placed buildings for them to cover. They spent about forty minutes walking around, and still hadn't found anything. It was beginning to seem like they might have to wait up all night, if this Prowler would show up at all. Nic' never liked to be kept waiting, but the thought of the bounty kept her on her toes.

The two of them were now shivering, Nic' had a sneeze, here and there. Fiona almost slipped off the roof onto one of the tiles, its surface still wet and slippery from the rain. They sat against a chimney, discussing earlier events.

"Y'know, this whole thing stinks. Why would the whole village chip in to have us take care of a kidnapper that could easily be overpowered in sheer numbers?"

"I really don't know" Fiona said feeling bored. "You should've seen the kid though. I walked into her room and it looked as though she was talking to herself. She said something about somebody leaving and not to hurt someone... didn't really make any sense."

"Figured as much, the whole town's crazy. The mothers obviously not all there, so it's probably genetic. They just better have the money once we're through here or I'll be taking it out of their lives."

"Nic', no matter what you can't kill anybody. We had a deal right?" she said, not knowing she murdered some soldiers back in Heliopolis.

"Like you wouldn't. If it was your life or their lives you'd pick your own survival over theirs right?"

"No, I'd do the same that you did for me back at Heliopolis. And money isn't a matter of life or death."

"It is for me. And who said I was ready to die for you back in Heliopolis? I just knew that Trevor would make it there when he did. Don't think I wouldn't turn tail and ditch you. That was one of our agreements; you wouldn't get in my way or slow me down."

Fiona went to say something, but while arguing the two didn't realize until now that there was music playing somewhere. It was an eerie tune that carried through out the air. It sounded like somebody was whistling it, or some kind of pipe instrument. It had a mesmerizing tune.

"Where's that coming from?" Nic' wondered, still shivering from the cold.

"Sounds like it's coming from all directions, I can't tell where."

They scurried over rooftops, jumping from one to the next one, hoping to find the source of this mysterious tune. When they got to the town square they noticed a door opening from one of the homes, and a figure stepped out.  
"Wait a sec" said Nic', "look down there."

It appeared to be a small child, but the moon had gone behind the darkest of clouds, making it hard to see that well. It looked like the duck girl Fiona had met earlier. The kid was still in her pajamas and seemed to be walking strangely, like she was still in a dream. They followed the kid as she walked slowly around the town, not sure if she was going anywhere or if it was a case of sleep walking.

The music was still playing, Fiona and Nic' had gotten so used to the tune that they could tell what the next verse would be. They followed awhile more, still not sure where the kid was going, and still not knowing where the music was coming from. The music always stayed at the same decibel level, no matter where they were.

Then after awhile, the music suddenly stopped. At the same time, the small child parked herself in a small alleyway. The alley had barrels stacked up along the side, and there were no windows looking out into it, making it a safe hiding place, if one wished to hide that is.

Fiona and Nic' looked on in interest; peering over the side of the roof, expecting the kid to do something. Instead, somebody else came out of the shadows. Somebody, roughly the same height, wearing what appeared to be a black trench coat that was a bit big for him (you have to remember, the moon wasn't shining too brightly and the town had no lights on at night).

The stranger in the trench coat spoke,

"_Hello. You must be April_." He spoke with a low, yet very soft-sounding voice. April the duck, whom Fiona and Nic' had thought was sleepwalking, replied to the stranger.

"You've been calling me, out into the night. Are you going to kill me?" she said in a lifeless voice, not at all like her high-pitched screaming earlier in the day.

"_Kill...? No, I am not death. I am just here to take you away. You are a child of Paisley village, you are very important. All children are_."

"But, where will you take me? Won't my parents worry?"

"_You no longer need your parents, and they no do not need you anymore. I need you April, you can come with me and you'll never be sad. We'll have fun, but you have to trust me_."

"Trust you? But I'm scared. I'm not sure if I should."

"_You don't have to be scared_." The stranger lifted its arms and put his small fingers gently around the girls head. She seemed scared at first, but then she started giggling.

"Will it always feel this good?" the duck asked in a happier voice.

"_As long as you believe in me, April_. _You'll never have to worry again_. _I am glad we could finally meet, after knowing you for so long_."

"Huh, b-but we've never met"

"_No, but I've known you for a long time now. It appears you will be the last, but they will not be able to save you, those guardian angels_!"

At that moment the figure looked up, right at Fiona and Nic', who were peering over the rooftop. It gave Fiona a fright, they had been caught out. She still couldn't see the strangers face, nor did she realize until just now that this person was the Prowler that has been killing children. The mysterious stranger put his hand down the front of his chest, pulling out a flute that was tied to the chain around his neck. It sounded similar to the tune they had heard just moments ago, but this one was more aggressive sounding. It carried out, all over the town, and into the mountains. Fiona hopped down from the roof, landing on barrels as she descended making a rough landing on her feet, but she was okay. She grabbed April by the arm; the girl turned and looked at her. She seemed frightened as if she had been woken up.

"Are you okay" asked Fiona. The girl was in a state of shock. She looked over at the Prowler and said "And who are you!? What have you done with all the children?!"

"_Oh_, _you'll find out soon enough Fiona_." she was taken back by what he had just said. Somehow, he knew her name. "_But first_, _you better look behind you, as you've got company. If your friend had any decency she would keep an eye on April while you_ _come chasing after me_... _not that she will_. _Just don't say I didn't warn you_."

"What are you talking about!" shouted Fiona.

_You'll see. But first_, _you better look behind you, as you have got company_."

Fiona had no idea what he was talking about. From above Nic' fired off a net, aimed at the Prowler in the shadows. He jumped up from the alley two stories high, onto the opposite rooftop, seemingly defying the laws of gravity in the process. Nic' had a look of awe on her face, "How did he do that" she wondered.  
"There." The stranger pointed towards the opening of the alley. Fiona turned around to see what it was. There were a lot of strange noises, getting closer each second. They were squeaking noises, loud vicious sounds. From around the corner outside the alley came a large horde of rats. But there was something strange about these rats. Their eyes for one thing, glowed red. And they seemed a bit large, larger than normal for the average rat size. They swarmed all around Fiona and April (who was now wide awake and aware of what was happening).

"Wh-what's happening, where d-did they all come from?" Fiona said, feeling a bit desperate.

April was clinging closely to Fiona, as they were both surrounded against the wall. The music still playing louder than ever as the Prowler played its flute from above. Fiona thought herself done for, but Nic' had thrown down a line for the tow girls to grab onto. She had tied it up to a chimney, since she wouldn't be able to lift them herself. April went up first, with Fiona scurrying up behind her.

"OOOWWW!!!" Fiona shouted out as one of the oversized rats bit onto the end of her tail. The pain from her tail, coupled with her arm which was still a bit numb from being involved in a fight at _St. Alamo's _earlier. She lost her grip from the rope and fell. It was lucky she was near the top as Nic' had grabbed a hold of her arm just as she had lost it, and pulled her up. Fiona kicked the rat back down to the ground. Her tail was bleeding badly. The Prowler had dashed off when Fiona had reached the top.  
"You okay Fiona?" she helped her up. "Maybe we better get you back, that cut looks pretty bad.

"Which way did he go!?" she demanded, huffing and puffing.

"Umm, over that way" Nic' pointed eastwards.

"Y-you look aft-ter the kid, I'll c-catch him!" she said sounding rather woozy after taking a large bite into her tail.

"Hey! Waitaminute!"

Fiona did not listen to Nic', she went in chase of the Prowler. The rats were hungry and waiting down below, yet the fox leaped over the rooftops, her tail now soaked in blood, yet she was determined to capture the guy. The music was still playing, but she had a hard time noticing with the blood loss making it hard to think. It was on top of the bell tower that the stranger stood looking ominous, looking down at where Fiona stood. The prowler played a different tune, this one just as aggressive as the last one. Fiona went to jump over to the balcony which opened out from the bell tower, but she was feeling dizzier now and as she jumped, her foot slipped on the railing and she plummeted down. Her body made a strong impact against the ground. As she was blacking out the rats come out of nowhere, gathering all around her; making a circle. She passed out, leaving this reality behind.

Had she been awake, she would have seen the stranger stop playing the flute and jump down from the bell tower, landing as light as a feather. The rats backed away, and the Prowler moved towards Fiona's lifeless body. The figure leant over; covering Fiona's tail wound with a piece of clothing it had ripped off itself, to stop the bleeding. The Prowler had a tail of its own; the same sad drooping tail Fiona had seen earlier. Alicia who was decked out in the trench coat gave Fiona a kiss on the cheek and said in her low voice,

"_So you really are the one that will give me life again. I have been waiting to meet you my whole life Fiona, and even beyond that_...." she smiled.

......................................................

She lifted her eye-lids, looking up at a ceiling. It was not very familiar sight, and she couldn't remember where she was. She felt pain, all over. She slowly leant forward, still in bed, and peered out from behind a curtain. It was daylight, and she was in some kind of village. It seemed familiar, like out of a dream. The houses seemed just like the ones in her dreams, but it wasn't a dream. She had hurt her head pretty badly and the wound had made it hard to remember things as they were. It slowly came back to her. The music, the girl, the stranger and the rats. She had slipped, and lost consciousness just as the overlarge rats were about to kill her. Why then, was she still alive? Had Nic' rescued her? Whatever happened, she wasn't going to find out just sitting around. She had forced her way out of bed, still a bit sore. It was the same house she and her partner Nic' had arrived in, where she met the cat family. She walked around the place, wondering where everyone was, how long she had been unconscious. Looking in a mirror, she saw that she had white bandages wrapped around her head, and tail. She wandered around for a bit, eating whatever food she could find. She went back upstairs to see if anyone was here, but found it to be empty. While in Alicia's room, she couldn't help but notice that the same green dress she had been wearing when she saw her last had a big tear in it.

As she was in the hallway going back downstairs she heard a noise coming from inside the room that was previously closed off when Fiona had passed by yesterday. She peeked through the hole to see that somebody was inside sobbing. She wondered if it was Alicia, but when she pushed the door open a bit more, she saw the frail figure of Josephine holding a picture of somebody. The room looked like a child's room. The sheets were all brightly colored, and there were toys collected up in a toy box near the bed. There was no doubt that she was crying, and Fiona had guessed that somebody had died, maybe one of her children. She wondered if she should go in and comfort her, but didn't know what to say.  
There was a small bang, as somebody had entered the front door downstairs. It gave Fiona a fright and she accidentally bumped into the door. The hinges made a squeaking noise as it pushed open, Josephine realizing somebody was there, turned around; but found nobody there. She dropped her head down again and said,

"I thought that was you, Rose. You always liked sneaking up on people didn't you...?"

Fiona ran down to find Emmerich and a pale looking Alicia all back home.

"Oh you're up! "Why don't you sit down here, you must still be in a lot of pain."

She complied and sat down on the couch. "You're friend told us all about your encounter last night, the part about the musical flutes seemed rather perplexing I must say. And giant rats no less. I've heard no stories about giant rats and magical flutes 'round these parts. Sounds like a fairy tale if you ask me."

"Well it's true!' she shouted out, rather profoundly. "There.... There was a girl. Did Nic' tell you? A girl... her name was April, is she alright?"  
"I'm sure she is" he assured. "You'd best be worrying about yourself, especially if you want a good chance at capturing this Prowler."

Fiona hadn't even thought of attempting to capture him again. They'd have to come up with some sort of plan, but she'd need Nic's help. "Nic', where is she?"  
"Oh she went out; I think she went back to her ship for something."

As Fiona ran off, Alicia followed closely behind her.

.................................................................

It was warmer outside, than it was at the cats' place. Fiona walked through the village, still getting strange looks from the locals. She was going to go catch up with Nic' at the ship to discuss the previous night. But it was Nic' who found her first, just on the outskirts of the town; she was carrying a large bag that hung around her neck and dropped to the opposite side of her waist.

"Geez, your up." said Nic'. "This going to be a habit now? Me pulling your fat outta the fryer, and you sleepin' all day?"

"What went on last night? It felt like some kind of dream." She asked, rubbing her forehead.

"The music, the rats, sleepwalking girl... Nope! Not a dream. That scar on yer tail there is solid proof of that Fi'. Though I'm more curious to know what happened after you chased the Prowler?"

"I.... I think he got me. I fell down, from the rooftop. Those horrible, I guess they were rats; surrounded me and then... I can't remember what happened afterwards."

They were both silent for a minute, deep in thought as they walked back towards Paisley Village. Nic' struggled to carry the heavy bag, but didn't want to ask Fiona to carry it, not because she was sympathetic for her, but because she didn't want to think she needed her help.

"It just doesn't add up" said Nic', breaking the silence. "When I found you unconscious on the ground just seconds afterwards, your tail was bandaged up in a kinda green material. Was there anybody else around before you nodded off?"

"Not that I recall" she answered. "Hey! What about that girl April? I mean, she's alright isn't she? We should go see her, find out if she"-

"I'm afraid, that she's disappeared"

"She disappeared? When was this?"

"Well... I followed after you, when you went off after that weirdo flute player" she said, keeping her eyes on the ground and away from Fiona. "Then afterwards when I went back to where the kid was, she wasn't there."

Fiona knew very knew very well that she meant to say that the girl had been left alone by herself. "You left her all alone!? What were you thinking!?!?" she said rather upset at her.

"Hey, first of all; I'm not a stinkin' babysitter! Capturing the Prowler is our mission here, not saving silly little children walking into dark alleys at night time. Secondly: I was coming to back you up, since you went off bleeding half to death. I didn't think that you'd be able to take him or it, or whatever it was on your own. Looks like I was right." The two of them were now rather ticked off with each other, that as they walked through the streets, everybody could hear what they were saying.

"Oh, so you think that this kid went missing because of me do you!?!?"

"No, I'm saying that you've forgotten who the brains of this operation truly is, ME!!! Don't EVER tell me what to do, we may be partners but I'm the one in charge." She snarled at Fiona, her fang looking like it might want to take a bite out of her. "Y'know what, just go back to the _Bounty One_ and wait this one out. You're too much of a liability to me right now; I'll take care of this one myself. And in future I suggest you think twice about telling me what to do. I trained you to be a bounty hunter myself, but I guess you'll never be as good as me. From now on I'll handle missions alone, just the way I like it"

She stood there silent as Nic' walked off carrying her baggage, she had lost that fight, because she knew that Nic' was right, even though it didn't make up for the fact that she had left the girl alone. She had gotten ahead of herself, wanting to capture the Prowler, and had been punished for it. She felt rather miserable now, but wasn't the kind to sulk. Villagers had overheard the argument, and this time they had a good reason to stare at her intently other than because they were from out of town. She felt embarrassed and walked off to find a quite area of town to be alone at. She found her way to another alley that had some small steps coming out the back of somebody's place. She didn't really care, since this area wasn't very busy. She sat down and recent events played over in her head like a tape recorder. She never really liked to think about all her adventures with Nic', since they seemed to jolt from one to another. It had become her life, and if she stopped to think about it every time, then she might regret her life.

She remembered dressing up as a hand maiden in the Heliopolan desert barely more than three days ago. She had poisoned the Basenji soldier's drinks and they had all nodded off, leaving the resting place of Osiris open to thieves. The memory of being almost strangled to death by Brutus, or the bar fight with Leonid who didn't understand the word "no". Having her tail bitten by a rat really put things into perspective for her.

If she kept on this self-destructive path there'd be nothing left of her. She had pretty much given up hope of finding her parents, because even if she did she couldn't forget all the pain she had endured. There was no other life for her. It was Nic' who brought her into this world of cat and mouse, the life of a bounty hunter. It was hard to imagine what life could have been otherwise.

Nonetheless, she had lost a fight with Nic', and really felt the need to prove her worth right now. But she couldn't think of what to do. Should she go around asking about the girl who disappeared? Her parents must be worried, mustn't they? And what off the rats, they couldn't have just come from nowhere. The Prowler with the strange voice, had she heard it before? "Hey" she thought. "Back at the cats' home... that girl was talking like..."

She lost her train of thought as the girl in question appeared before her.

"Uhh, hello Ms. Fiona. You probably want to be alone, but I... it's just."  
"No, please. Why don't you sit here with me, I could use some friendly company." The young girl obliged, sitting down on the stone step next to her. She now had on a light-pink dress, with a red cardigan over top. Her feet pointed towards one another the way she sat, with her hands firmly tucked between her knees.  
"Well, it's just that. I overheard your conversation, about stuff that you and that weasel lady did last night." She said, all the while gawking at her fingernails, paying no attention to Fiona. "And it's just that, this has happened before. A long time ago, before I was born. Nobody likes to talk about it, but my... Friends tell me stories of long long ago, when this village was young. That the Prowler existed even back then, killing girls."  
"But, I thought.... We (and by "we" she meant Nic' and herself) were never told that. But if what you say is true, then it can't be the same person. This village has been around for hundreds of years."

"Yeah I know. Daddy doesn't like to talk about it, but the Prowler; he uses some kind of magic. He especially hates people from out of town, or so I'm told. My sister Rose... she was killed by the Prowler when she was my age. I never got to meet her as I was only a baby then, but my mommy hasn't been the same since."

"I'm sorry to hear that Alicia. It must be hard on you."

"Not really. She's still with us, in spirit... I just wish mommy will get better again."

"I hope so too" she said, planting her hand on Alicia's head, stroking her hair.

"Ms. Fiona, I don't want to see you get hurt again. If he captures you you'll die, he hates people from out of town. Please I'm begging you, just leave here! It's for your own good and the weasel lady's too. It's something only the people of this village can fix, not you."

Alicia had a scared look on her face, like it was her own life at risk here. Fiona had taken in only about half of what she said. Though she understood what was going on, and assured her that it'd be alright,

"You did a good thing coming to me" she patted her on the shoulder. "But you don't have to worry about me. I've survived worse than this." she assured the girl.

"No! You don't get it!!!" she was becoming more aggressive now, standing up and looking straight into Fiona's face. "You were brought here for a reason. It's because you're a..."

"Is everything alright here?" An adult lion walked out from around the corner, staring wildly at the two of them, probably over-hearing most of the conversation, which made Alicia clam up. He was the same lion Fiona and Nic' had met yesterday, getting directions off him. "Alicia, I think your mother was looking for you." The distraught girl ran off past the lion, who left right behind her, leaving Fiona alone to question what just happened.

"No, it can't be." She thought to herself. "But if she is, then I wonder if everybody knows? Problem is I can't work out what's the truth and what's false. It's all mixed in there together. Perhaps I should tell Nic'... she could be in danger at the cat family's home... Nah, she can take care of herself, and I'd show her a thing or two solving this case. I've got my lead, guess it's time for me to get to work.

.........................................................

Tonight was a lot clearer than last, thanks to some easterly winds blowing away the clouds. The town was once again silent as it was midnight, leaving it open for the players to set up their pieces.

Fiona the Fox was perched up on a rooftop, across from the cat family's home, hidden behind a chimney. She was dressed in black stealth gear, with a face mask on concealing all but her eyes, equipped with night-vision goggles hanging around her neck and a bow 'n' arrow tied around her back.

Alicia was in her bedroom, changing into a black trench coat she had worn the night before, checking she had her musical instrument. She hummed a tune as she geared up.

Nic' the Weasel was just leaving the cat families home, with the large bag she was carrying earlier.

Fiona saw both of them leaving. Nic' exited the house heading off in one direction, Alicia, leaving through her window, jumping over rooftops, in a familiar garb, the same clothing Fiona saw the Prowler wearing the night before. Fiona chased closely behind her, yet out of sight, hoping she would take her back to her lair...

* * *

Authors Notes:

_Well wasn't that weird? But the journey just gets stranger from here on out, so maybe I better clear some things up first._

_When I started writing this chapter, I realized that it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, so I decided I had to split it up into three chapters. Hence why under the chapter title I wrote "The Fox, the Flute and the Rats. Part One." There will be three parts, and I've already finished chapter five I just have to go through the tedious task of editing it. After Part 3(chapter six) there will be the final two chapters left that deal with a fallout between Nic' and Fiona, and the culmination of the search for her parents._

_I was also influenced by several things for writing this three-parter, which I will get into once I've finished the whole story. As for the next chapter, Fiona meets a relative from the past, and Nic' and Fiona duke it out... but it's not what you think. By the way the next story is a bit complex so it might awhile before it's up, as I don't want any continuity errors. Not to mention that the next installment is an exposition nightmare... well you'll see._

_Keep an eye out for it and let me know if you liked this chapter, hated it, think I should burn in Hell for such lameness, etc. _:)


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